Huayu: I rely on hit-movie tactics to interweave...

Chapter 8: The First Pot of Gold, Registered Letter

The World Cup will open at the end of May.

Liu Yu watches the game every night without fail, not for enjoyment, but to confirm that his memory is accurate.

The first match is between France and Senegal.

He remembered that Senegal would pull off an upset, but he deliberately didn't bet on that match. It's impossible to not lose a single game; losing several games would be more realistic.

As expected, Senegal beat France 1-0, causing an uproar around the world.

In the second match, South Korea played against Poland. South Korea won, which was no surprise.

The third match...

He watched the game every night and settled the accounts the next morning. He would claim the winnings and treat the losses as tuition fees.

By the end of June, the World Cup had ended, and he added up all his prize money and did the math.

After taxes, I netted over 30 million.

Liu Yu stared at the numbers on his bankbook for a long time.

In his previous life, it took him five years to earn his first ten million.

He himself can't even remember how many hardships he endured, how many times he lost money, and how many times he vomited from drinking, from the time he started carrying a basket to the time he opened his first store.

In this lifetime, I'll earn 30 million a month.

"That's the power of information asymmetry." Liu Yu locked the passbook in the drawer and muttered to himself, "No wonder so many people want to be reborn."

He knew in his heart that it was best to use this kind of money sparingly.

What was the concept of 30 million in Changsha in 2002?

At that time, the average price of housing in Changsha was less than 2,000 yuan per square meter, and 30 million yuan could buy a whole street of shops.

He knew house prices would rise. But no matter how fast house prices rose, they couldn't outpace the speed at which the "information" in his head could generate income.

……

In early July, Changsha entered the hottest time of the year.

The cicadas chirping in the trees were annoying, the asphalt roads on the street were softened by the sun, and even the water level of the Xiangjiang River had dropped considerably.

July 6th, the day before the college entrance examination.

Liu Jianhui went to the market to buy a big carp, saying it was for the "carp to leap over the dragon gate".

Zhang Yan spent the afternoon in the kitchen preparing a table full of dishes: braised carp, stir-fried pork with chili peppers, stir-fried lotus root slices, pork rib and winter melon soup, and a bowl of garlic water spinach that Liu Yu loves.

Liu Yu sat at the dining table, looking at the table full of dishes, and suddenly felt a little dazed.

In his past life, he had attended countless banquets, eating abalone and shark fin at five-star hotels, and drinking barbecue skewers and beer at roadside stalls.

Those dinners were either for signing contracts or for maintaining relationships. Never before has a meal been like today, simply to ensure he eats well, sleeps well, and does well on his exams.

For the first time ever, Liu Jianhui poured himself a glass of baijiu and also poured a small glass for Liu Yu.

"Come on, son, have a drink." Liu Jianhui smiled and raised his glass. "Do your best on the exam tomorrow, don't feel pressured. Whether you pass or not, you'll always be my son."

Zhang Yan glared at him: "Drink less, you have surgery tomorrow."

Then she turned to Liu Yu, her tone softening considerably, "Don't listen to your dad, my son will definitely pass the exam! I've seen how hard you've worked this past year."

Liu Yu picked up his cup, clinked it against his father's, and took a small sip.

The baijiu burned his throat, making him wince.

"Dad, don't worry, I know what I'm doing."

He was indeed aware of his situation, and after months of intensive tutoring, his academic scores had stabilized above the first-tier university admission line.

The Beijing Film Academy's Management Department is an arts-related major, and its academic score requirement is much lower than that of regular undergraduate programs. As long as he performs normally, he should be fine.

The only subject that made him a little uneasy was mathematics. He had a very weak foundation in this subject. Although he had made great progress in the past six months, no one could predict the outcome of an exam.

……

July 7th, the first day of the National College Entrance Examination (Gaokao).

At seven o'clock in the morning, before Liu Yu had even gotten out of bed, he heard clanging and banging sounds coming from the kitchen.

He got dressed and went outside, where he saw Zhang Yan frying eggs, porridge cooking in a pot, and a basket of steamed buns on the stove.

"Mom, why are you up so early?"

"Today is your college entrance exam, so Mom has to cook you a good meal." Zhang Yan scooped the golden-brown fried eggs onto a plate and picked out a few more steamed buns. "Eat more, you'll have the energy for the exam if you're full. Don't be hungry when you get to the exam hall, it's three hours long."

Liu Jianhui didn't go to the hospital this morning either. He was wearing a white shirt, his hair was neatly combed, and he looked several years younger than usual. He was standing at the door smoking, and when he saw Liu Yu come out, he put out his cigarette.

"Eat quickly, and I'll drive you there after you finish."

Liu Yu was taken aback: "Dad, will you take me there?"

"Of course it is, what day is it today?" Liu Jianhui picked up his car keys. "Your sister called specifically to tell me that I absolutely have to take you there, saying it's a matter of ceremony."

"A sense of ritual?" Liu Yu's lips twitched. "She studied business in the UK, what kind of business school? Teaching people how to take the college entrance exam?"

"Stop talking nonsense and hurry up."

The Accord moved slowly through the morning rush hour traffic. Liu Jianhui drove very steadily, never cutting in or changing lanes to overtake, just like his personality: steady, but slow.

Liu Yu sat in the passenger seat, watching the street scenes flash by outside the window, his mood surprisingly calm.

He recalled his past life, a life in which he had no children. He had three wives, but none of them bore him a child. This was one of his greatest regrets in this life, a lesson he was determined to make up for.

"What are you thinking about?" Liu Jianhui asked.

"I'm thinking about whether I should have a child in the future."

Liu Jianhui's hand trembled, almost causing him to drive into the opposite lane: "You're taking the college entrance exam today, what are you thinking about having a baby for?"

"Dad, this is called life planning."

"Planning my ass, get into university first."

……

The exam venue is Yali High School, which is not far from home, about a ten-minute drive away.

Liu Jianhui parked the car on the side of the road without turning off the engine.

"We're here, let's go in."

"Aren't you getting off the bus?"

"Why are you getting off? I'll just wait here. Go on, don't waste time."

Liu Yu opened the car door and was about to get out when Liu Jianhui called out from behind, "Wait a minute."

"Um?"

Liu Jianhui took a red envelope out of his pocket and stuffed it into Liu Yu's hand: "Take this, it's for good luck. Don't open it yet, look at it after the exam."

Liu Yu squeezed the red envelope; it was thin, probably containing one or two red banknotes.

"Dad, when did you start believing in this stuff?"

"Your mom told me to give it to her." Liu Jianhui turned his head away. "Hurry up and go, stop dawdling here."

Liu Yu smiled, put the red envelope in his pocket, and closed the car door.

The entrance to Yali High School was packed with students and parents, a sea of ​​people.

Some people are reciting ancient poems, some are looking at math formulas, and some are eating breakfast.

The parents were even more nervous than the students. Some patted their children on the shoulder and said, "Don't be nervous," while others kept saying, "Make sure you read the questions carefully."

Liu Yu walked to the school gate and looked back.

Liu Jianhui's car was still parked on the side of the road, the window rolled down halfway, and his father was smoking, looking at him through the smoke.

Liu Yuchong's father gave an "OK" sign and turned to walk into the school gate.

……

The three days of the college entrance examination feel neither fast nor slow.

The first day consisted of Chinese and Math, the second day of English and Humanities, and the third day... In Hunan at that time, it was "3 + Mini Comprehensive". Humanities students took the exam for three days, and the third day was the additional test for "Humanities Comprehensive". Liu Yu had almost forgotten that this course existed.

For three days, Zhang Yan cooked different meals for him every day. On the first day, breakfast was porridge and steamed buns. On the second day, it was soy milk and fried dough sticks. On the third day, it was rice noodles.

Liu Jianhui took three mornings off each day to pick up and drop off the children, rain or shine.

When Liu Yu walked out of the last exam room, it was drizzling outside.

He stood under the porch of the teaching building, staring blankly at the rain curtain.

My first major goal in this life has been achieved.

Regardless of the results, he did his best.

The fact that a veteran who dropped out of school could cram three years' worth of high school curriculum into his studies in just over half a year is already outrageous enough. Even if he fails the exams, he doesn't feel ashamed of himself.

"Liu Yu! Over here!"

Liu Jianhui stood at the school gate, holding an umbrella, and waved to him.

Liu Yu ran over and ducked under the umbrella. The father and son walked side by side to the parking lot, neither of them saying a word.

After getting into the car, Liu Jianhui started the engine and turned on the heater.

"How did the exam go?"

"Not bad." Liu Yu rubbed his hands together. "I didn't finish the last big math problem, but I did all the others."

"That's fine then." Liu Jianhui shifted into reverse and backed the car out of the parking space. "Your mom made your favorite food at home. Go back and have a good meal, then take a nap."

"dad."

"Um?"

"Thank you for bringing me to the exam."

Liu Jianhui paused briefly on the steering wheel, then continued driving as if nothing had happened.

"Don't thank me, I'm your dad."

……

On the first day after the college entrance examination, Liu Yu was woken up by the sun.

He opened his eyes and looked at the alarm clock on the bedside table; it was 9:30 in the morning.

This was the first time in over half a year that he had woken up naturally, without an alarm clock or biological clock, just a pure and simple awakening.

Sunlight streamed through the gaps in the curtains, drawing a golden line on the opposite wall. Cicadas chirped merrily outside the window, and the aroma of fried dough sticks wafted from the breakfast stall downstairs.

He put his hands behind his head and stared at the ceiling for a long time.

It has been exactly two years since I was reborn in July 2000.

In the past two years, he has gone from a reckless dropout to a veteran who has won a third-class merit award, then from a veteran to an older college entrance exam candidate, and finally from an older college entrance exam candidate to a prospective student at the Beijing Film Academy; of course, we still have to wait for the admission notice to be issued.

"Just one last step," Liu Yu muttered to himself. "Once I receive the acceptance letter, I'll be a real film production major in college."

He rolled over, pulled his phone out from under his pillow—a Nokia 3310, which had become his "lucky charm," and he kept it under his pillow every night.

No new messages.

He opened his inbox and found only a few text messages.

Zhang Yan sent messages like "Have you arrived yet?" and "How did the exam go?", Liu Jianhui sent "Come back for dinner tonight", and there was also a message from China Mobile saying "Welcome to China Mobile Communications".

Liu Yu put his phone back, closed his eyes, and started thinking about that matter again.

money.

Thirty million is neither a lot nor a little.

What to invest in?

He already had a preliminary plan in mind: NetEase.

But foreign exchange controls are strict now, so I can only ask my older sister.

......

In late July, the results were released.

Liu Yu checked his scores at home using that bulky desktop computer, dialing up to the internet, and it took thirty seconds for the page to load.

Total score: 566.

The math exam was insanely difficult this year; he scored 89, just one point short of passing, but that was already an exceptional performance for him. His other scores were: Chinese 113, English 128, and Humanities 236.

A score of 566 is nearly 100 points higher than the previous years' admission score for the Management Department of Beijing Film Academy, which would be enough to qualify for a first-tier university in the general undergraduate program.

That's enough.

He later learned that the minimum score for academic subjects in the Management Department of Beijing Film Academy this year was 480.

"I should have known better than to study so hard," Liu Yu complained to Lin Hao on the phone. "My hair has turned completely white in the last six months."

In early August, the admission letter from Beijing Film Academy arrived.

That day, Liu Yu was having dinner with some old classmates. They were actually friends he had made during the past six months of his time as a transfer student. Lin Hao was also there.

A group of people were eating crayfish at a Hunan restaurant near Wuyi Square, and they were sweating profusely from the spiciness.

Liu Yu's cell phone rang; it was the home landline.

"Liu Yu, come back quickly!" Zhang Yan's voice came through the receiver, filled with barely suppressed excitement. "The acceptance letter has arrived! From the Beijing Film Academy! Registered mail!"

The entire private room fell silent for a second.

"Brother, you got into Beijing Film Academy?" Lin Hao asked, his mouth still full of crayfish, his words muffled.

"Okay." Liu Yu stood up, put his phone in his pocket, and said, "Brothers, this meal is on me. You guys enjoy your meal, I'm leaving now."

"No, bro! We have to celebrate that you got in!" Another classmate tugged at his sleeve.

"What's there to celebrate? I haven't even seen the acceptance letter yet," Liu Yu laughed, breaking free. "Tomorrow! Tomorrow it's my treat! Eat whatever you want on the whole street!"

He jogged downstairs, hailed a taxi, and gave them his home address.